One of the most important parts of football is the colourful fans that give support to football clubs when they play every weekend and every match day.
Thousands of people troop into big stadiums cladded in their teams’ home colours and jerseys.
Fans are big stakeholders in a club and it is not surprising to see that football clubs and their administrators take several decisions with the supporters in mind.
A player may be signed or declined if the fans are vocal against such a move, the same happens with recruitment.
Sometimes football clubs are owned by communities and sometimes have a share in a club.
With this in mind, it brings the question, which English teams have the most supporters? This is especially as every stand is almost filled week in, week out in England.
This made it difficult to decipher which club has the most fans and so NaijNaira takes a look at the top 10 clubs in England that have the biggest fan base.
10 Most supported football clubs in England
10. Everton
There is a reason why Liverpool vs Everton, the Merseyside derby is considered one of the biggest football derbies in England.
The Goodison Park is always filled to the brim and not just only for the Merseyside derby but also for all other fixtures that Everton plays.
Social media estimation of their supporters across the world indicates that Everton has nothing less than 10 million fans all over the world certainly one of the highest in the Premier League and in England in 2022.
9. West Brom
West Brom may be toggling between the Premier League and the championship, relegating than getting promoted season in, season out but one thing is certain the Baggies are not short on fans.
The baggies are one of the most influential fans in English football and are usually vocal in the big decision as regards managerial positions at the club.
Similarly, they are not short on VIP fans and celebrities putting on bold white and blue stripes.
8. Sunderland
Sunderland is one of the most traditional football clubs in England and they share a big derby with Newcastle United called the Tyne-wear derby which is usually fierce thanks to both sets of fans.
Hardly is there any time where both sides meet in any competition without any clash between both sets of fans, one of the reasons why they are justifiably on this list as one of the top 10 clubs in England with the most fans.
7. West Ham
Recently West Ham United had to move away from Upton Park to a more modern and newly constructed Olympic Stadium in London.
It was one of the moves the club considered necessary to meet up with its perceived status as a big Club and accommodate its fans.
The London Stadium is 66,500 and the Hammer fans fill it up well and in addition to over 6M on social media across the world.
6. Tottenham
The Premier League is evolving towards the top 8 with more clubs becoming stronger financially and bolstering their squad which in turn means that they appear on the European scene.
However, before the top eight, there was stop six and it was Tottenham who broke into the top four alongside Manchester City.
They have been title challengers in recent seasons especially in 2016 when they got very close to winning the Premier League title and in 2018 when they lost the UEFA Champions League final to Liverpool.
What has followed is a remodeling of the White Hart Lane Stadium which is now renovated and can fill over 60,000 fans.
When the reconstruction was going on, Tottenham regularly used Wembley Stadium and their social media presence is also lively as they rival their North London neighbours Arsenal.
5. Newcastle United
We have already discussed the rivalry that makes Newcastle a big part of this list beyond the fact that they are a classic club side in the Premier League that has never lacked fans followership even from the days of the top division.
Saint James’s Park is one of the most iconic stadiums in England and the fans have always been vocal about the ownership of the club and managerial changes.
In recent years they have had their fair share of ups and downs from the Premier League to the championship but everywhere they go, any level they play, Newcastle United still keeps a bulk of their fan base.
4. Chelsea F.C.
Many may not quite agree that Chelsea have always been a big club although their most successful period was after the arrival of Russian Roman Abramovich between 2003 and 2004 and since then they have managed to form part of the top 4 in the Premier League.
Their fanbase has now gone beyond just London and the UK, the blues now boast of fans across the world down to Asia and Africa, and jersey sales and preseason trips outside Europe show that the 40k capacity at Stamford doesn’t tell the true picture of Chelsea’s followership.
In recent seasons there have been talks that Stamford Bridge is now too small for the stature of the club and there is a possibility of a new stadium in coming years.
3. Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool is undeniably a big club in the Premier League and also has a lot of followership.
In recent years the club and its fanbase have been credited for the kind of atmosphere they create at Anfield stadium especially when they sing the club motto of “you will never walk alone.”
However, that is not where Liverpool’s fan base is limited to. The Reds who have 5 UEFA Champions League titles have fans across Europe North America Asia and Africa.
2. Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal have enjoyed a lot of cult followership even beyond Europe and London. For a long time they were considered the biggest club side in London and as soon as bigger than their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Their tendency to have players across various continents and including the biggest African stars like Kolo Toure, Nwankwo Kanu, Thomas Partey, Alex Song have helped boosted their followership in places like Cameroon Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria.
The Emirates Stadium sees a lot of visits from fans from across the world who come on a tour of the club’s gallery in the stadium.
1. Manchester United
Undeniably Manchester United are the biggest club in England and they have the biggest fanbase as well and not just in the country alone but also across the world in Asia North America and even in Africa.
The club’s followership on social media is crazy and the sale of season tickets for the Old Trafford stadium is immense. They have broken records not only in terms of title wins but also with the number of attendance they’ve had.
They also have some of the biggest rivalries including the Manchester derby, Manchester United and Liverpool rivalry amongst many others still go shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the biggest clubs in Europe including Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
